


Continue to Surprise

by larxenethefirefly



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Demon Hanzo Shimada, Halloween Gift Exchange, Hunter Jesse McCree, Imprisonment, M/M, Magic, Pre-Relationship, Spellweaver Hana Song, gorgon lucio, there isn't any graphic descriptions of it though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-17 03:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21259727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larxenethefirefly/pseuds/larxenethefirefly
Summary: Hunter Jesse McCree rescues a demon, goes on a hunt, and somehow catches feelings along the way.----Or, five times Hanzo surprised Jesse, and one time Jesse surprised Hanzo
Relationships: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Comments: 6
Kudos: 197
Collections: OW Halloween Gift Exchange 2019





	Continue to Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt Rykeld gave me was "Anything fluffy or intimate, punny, pet shenanigans, helping each other through tough times."
> 
> .... close enough?
> 
> Happy Halloween Rykeld!!
> 
> Thank you very much to my beta, featheredschist. This would not be half as good without them.

The house certainly looked haunted. Boarded up windows, overgrown ivy, rotten front porch. Rocks and other trash littered the yard, dead bushes and bird baths placed at random throughout it. At first Jesse had thought this place was part of an insurance scam- claim your house is haunted, get a federal payout, your house is demolished for free and you later get to buy the land back at a cheap price. But there was definitely _something_ living here- his prosthetic had started glowing white a few houses back, which meant that whatever was here was powerful.

He really, really hoped it wasn’t a malicious spirit. Peacekeeper could be used against all manner of creatures, but he preferred it when he didn’t have to use her. 

The porch creaked ominously when he stepped up, but thankfully didn’t give out from under him. The door was locked, but the owner had provided a key that only stuck a little when he turned it. 

The power had long been shut off, and even the moonlight pooling on the floor of the house did little to breach the void beyond it. Jesse pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on- the specially made bulb sputtered but eventually yielded, a weak yellow beam illuminating sheet-covered couches riddled with holes. He ought to have changed the battery before he left, but it was too late now.

“Well then,” he muttered. “Let’s get to work.”

At first there didn’t seem to be signs of an active haunting. No shattered plates, no moving pictures, no strange winds. There was still something… off about the place, and it wasn’t until he was examining some scratch marks on the floor that he realized: the place was too clean. No spiderwebs, no dust, no signs of animal nesting. While the furniture was still worse for wear and he wouldn’t eat off the plates any time soon, most of the floors and surfaces had been wiped clean. The client hadn’t mentioned being on the property lately, only that the neighbors had complained about strange noises at night. McCree frowned. It wasn’t the first time he had found a squatter trying to scare people off, but the building looked like a stiff breeze away from being condemned. There was definitely mold in the sink, and he shuddered to think what the place would look like with a proper light. 

Thankfully the place was a single story, so it would be easy to find out the truth. Beat running about a forest searching for a wood spirit any day. Fucker could possess trees.

The first room was a dilapidated bathroom with a rusted showerhead and cracked sink. He tested the water- nothing. This place looked a little less friendly, so he quickly left. The guest bedroom didn’t reveal anything either, only a few cardboard boxes and peeling wallpaper that was out of fashion in the eighties. Shattered glass glinted on the floor, and he experimentally pushed against the board. It moved easily, which was probably how the squatter got in. Assuming it was a squatter- there was still the matter of his arm, which he had turned off so as to not alert whatever it was he was hunting. Not many things registered in the brighter spectrum, and those that did made him nervous. 

He really hoped it was just a squatter.

All that was left was the master bedroom, and he eased the door open cautiously. Nothing leapt out of him, and the room beyond seemed just as still as the rest of the house. He hesitated. Any incorporeal spirit would have been alerted to his presence as soon as he entered, and would have made their presence known by now. It was possible that some other creature from the Dark Realms had made this house their territory, but those with sentience would have laid traps, and the lesser beings would have left evidence of their presence. 

Jesse knew he was missing something. It wasn’t often a hunt threw him for a loop like this- there had to be some clue, some sort of sign that he hadn’t seen yet. Perhaps the being had left to feed, and Jesse got lucky in approaching when it was away? Regardless, he had to complete the search- there had to be something here.

Three steps into the room, his flashlight died.

Jesse let out a soft hiss, shaking it in the hopes that it would get some life back. No such luck. He even risked smacking it, but the flashlight refused to turn back on. He really should have changed the batteries. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. Rookie mistake. He could hear Gabe lecturing him now. 

Well, there was nothing for it. Jesse would have to return at a later date. His window of opportunity was doubtlessly getting smaller by the second, and whatever creature stayed here would instantly know he had been by. If Jesse was lucky it would be scared off just by his smell. He turned to leave.

A glowing pair of white eyes stared at him from a few feet away.

Jesse yelped and scrambled backwards, knocking into something that fell apart on contact. He flailed, plaster crumbling beneath his prosthetic as he frantically looked for a handhold. No such luck- he landed hard on the broken furniture, letting out a pained groan when he did so. 

The eyes squinted, seemingly in confusion. 

Eventually Jesse got his breath back and heaved himself up, wincing at the bruises that were forming even with his full gear on. His flashlight, the traitor that it was, had turned back on in the commotion.

He bent down to pick it up, then turned it toward the newcomer, politely keeping it out of the way of its face.

The first thing his mind registered was ‘why are they wearing silk in a place like this’, but it was quickly overwhelmed by ‘holy shit that’s a demon’.

In this form, he was slightly shorter than Jesse, but he knew better than most that demons were, among other things, shapeshifters. The fact that he hadn’t changed his form to hide his nature either meant he didn’t fear for his life or he was weakening from being away from the Dark Realms for so long. Perhaps a bit of both. 

At least he didn’t look aggressive. His head was tilted to the side, squinting at Jesse in irritation. “For a hunter you aren’t very quiet,” he commented, and in any other circumstances his voice would have done things to Jesse, but he was already embarrassed enough for the night.

“Well hello to you too,” Jesse grumbled. “Didn’t anyone tell you it’s impolite to sneak up on someone like that?”

“You are the one who disturbed my nap,” the demon pointed out. “Didn’t anyone tell you it’s rude to wake someone up?”

“Nah, people usually tell me I sleep too much,” Jesse replied. “I’m used to people barging in and telling me to get my ass up.”

“Hm. Still, you could have at least knocked.”

Jesse realized the absurdity of the situation pretty quick. “Hold up now, you’re the one trespassing here. Why are you lecturing me?”

The demon snorted. “Is that what they told you?” At Jesse’s shrug he continued. “I am trapped here, not trespassing. I was searching for my brother when I was rudely summoned and then stuck in this place.” He looked offended as he gestured around at the run-down building.

Jesse considered. Demons weren’t exactly known for their honesty, but Jesse also didn’t get the feeling that he was lying. And, if anything, demons were loyal to a fault with blood ties. “How are you trapped then?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve been investigating this house for the better part of a week, but it… hurts beyond a certain point.” He scowled. “I suspect a demon trap, but there isn’t anything I can see or sense that is keeping me here.”

Jesse hummed as he reconsidered the layout of the lot, and the position of the seemingly random lawn ornaments and trash. If viewed from above, they could easily be hiding the lines and symbols for a trap, and it wouldn’t take much for Jesse to break it. “I might have an idea. Who did you say stuck you here?”

“I didn’t,” the demon snarked, but at Jesse’s look sighed. “I’m not sure. I was calling upon an acquaintance when I was summoned, and when I arrived in this plane there was a collection of humans there to offer me a bargain. Join them, or die. I denied their ‘offer’, and they stuck me here after they subdued me to reconsider. Under my summoning contract I wasn’t allowed to contact anyone, but-”

“That didn’t mean you couldn’t have others contacting someone to help,” Jesse finished. The demon nodded. “Put a lot of faith in chance. I coulda been some greenhorn with an itchy trigger finger.”

They scoffed. “A new recruit would hardly be a challenge. Don’t you hunters usually require more than one person to take down a demon?”

“Maybe if we don’t know what we’re doin’,” Jesse grumbled. “Can you tell me anything about this offer?”

The demon looked frustrated. “No. The contract had a vow of silence. I cannot speak of the peculiarities of the offer until they’re all dead.”

Jesse considered. “Well, I can make an educated guess. I’m assuming they want you to fight for them?” At Hanzo’s silence Jesse nodded to himself. “Figured. Not the first time I’ve come across this. Tell you what: I bust you out of here, and we go looking for these guys. You’re free from your summoning contract and get to find your brother, I get to prevent a potential war, everyone’s happy. Deal?”

“Everyone but my summoners,” the demon snarked, but shook Jesse’s extended hand. “Shimada Hanzo, at your service.”

“Jesse McCree, darlin’. I’m sure it’ll be a pleasure working with you.”

\----

The safehouse Jesse was using for the mission was on the outskirts of town, in a small neighborhood hidden by plenty of trees. There were four streets total, and there seemed to be only three variations of the same basic floorplan, with Jesse’s house the only outlier in that it didn’t look as lived in- there was nothing cluttering the lawn, the curtains were drawn tight, and his garden had a few easy to maintain plants along the front deck. The inside wasn’t much better, but it was clean, and it suited Jesse’s purposes well enough when he needed a base of operations or simply a place to crash until he moved on.

Hanzo was currently sleeping in the guest room, no doubt enjoying the feel of a real bed after a few weeks sleeping on a hard wooden floor. Jesse had taken it upon himself to buy groceries- while the neighbors kept things clean for him, he preferred to keep the bare essentials stocked unless he planned to stay in town for a while. With another mouth to feed and uncertain as to how long he would be staying, he needed even more.

Cecelia found him just as he was pulling into the parking spot in the alley behind the house, and she gave him a hug he willingly returned. “There you are! I was wondering when you were coming ‘round again. How long are you staying for this time?”

“Don’t know, so I stocked up,” he said, opening the trunk to reveal the bags of groceries. “Have less information than usual even with a witness, so I reckon you’ll see me around for a while.”

“Good! We’ve missed our resident Hunter, Max especially. You know he feels safer with you around.” She picks up a few of the bags so that Jesse could easily access his keys. They continued chatting about neighborhood gossip as they made their way to the house.

Jesse had barely taken two steps into the door when Cecelia shrieked and there was a clatter of groceries and cracked eggs. He turned to see Hanzo pinning her by the throat against the wall, growling with blue energy crackling up and down his arm. Fuck.

“Hanzo!” Jesse shouted, and noticing the growing fangs and horns, winced and gentled his tone. “Hanzo, it’s okay. That’s Cecelia, she’s a friend. She was just helping me with groceries. Can you, uh… please let her go?”

The demon looked like he was going to ignore him, but without both Cecelia and Jesse showing any aggression he eventually relented and let her down. Jesse moved between them quickly, checking her over before sending her home.

Hanzo had retreated in the meantime, hovering awkwardly behind the sofa. After Jesse had collected the spilled groceries, he followed behind him at a distance, frowning and tail thrashing. “That was a vampire!” he hissed. “Why are you neighbors with a vampire!”

Jesse gave Hanzo a disapproving look. “Some people would ask the same thing about me working with a demon.” As Hanzo’s frown intensified, Jesse sighed. “Look, Cecelia has lived here for centuries. She created this neighborhood as a safe haven for beings looking to escape or simply live a quiet life. I was hired to not only keep them safe, but to also appease any less open minded members of my Guild. Most of the people here have kids, jobs, even a dog or two. So what if they have scales or extra hands or less eyes? They just want to live their life, same as us.”

Hanzo faltered, watching as Jesse put away the battered apples. “I… didn’t realize. I apologize.” He said it stiffly, as if the words themselves were foreign to him.

“Tell you what, help me with the groceries and I’ll consider us even,” Jesse replied after a moment. Hanzo did seem to have calmed down and looked more ashamed than anything. “I should have warned you, anyway.”

The demon didn’t need to be told twice, and finished the chore quickly. He even insisted on finding breakfast, which Jesse agreed to since he needed to get some research done.

Hanzo found him in his office a while later. A stack of pancakes from a nearby diner was in his hands, and Jesse startled when Hanzo turned to reveal a cup of coffee being carried by his tail. 

“Here,” Hanzo said, and Jesse tried not to let his reaction show when Hanzo handed him the cup. “Is your office usually this messy?”

“Only when I’m in the middle of a hunt,” Jesse said, carefully taking the drink. Hanzo’s tail uncurled from the handle and dropped back down, once again benign. “Just put the plate anywhere, I have a few cleaning spells that can take care of any stains.”

Hanzo did so, only leaving to bring back more plates and utensils from Jesse’s mismatched silverware sets. “I don’t know how you like your coffee,” Hanzo apologized, mistaking Jesse’s expression.

“Oh- no. No, I’m not picky when it comes to caffeine,” Jesse rushed, taking a sip. Hanzo must have found the good stuff Jesse had hidden behind the boxes of instant macaroni. “It’s just… uh. I wasn’t aware your tail could… do that.”

Hanzo blinked. “You live alongside a vampire and work with a demon and a prehensile tail is the straw too far?”

“I wasn’t expecting it!” Jesse exclaimed. “None of my books or my previous hunts have ever mentioned it!”

The demon seemed amused. “Don’t some of your own animals have them?”

Jesse frowned. “Yes, but none of them have ever- you know what? Forget it.” He turned back to his book, ignoring Hanzo’s snicker. “I found something more interesting, anyway.”

“Do tell.” He leaned over Jesse’s shoulder, and the hunter tried not to think about how close Hanzo suddenly was. Did all demons smell like something citrusy?

He tried not to dwell on the deep pang of longing he suddenly felt. Reyes was right; he had been on his own for too long. “So, during the War there were many different factions enslaving and manipulating supernatural creatures. Afterwards, the Hunters Guild did some digging, and it turned out they weren’t as different as we thought.” Jesse gestured at the complex map of connections that was being displayed on the terminal. “One of our tech witches has been following leads for a long time, and she thinks that she’s found the cause.”

“Talon?” Hanzo asked. “What is that?”

“Officially? A mercenary group for hire,” Jesse replied. “Unofficially? No one knows. But Sombra’s convinced that there’s something shady going on in the upper management. And I’ve grown to trust her hunches.”

Hanzo considered. “I wasn’t given any names when I was summoned,” he said. “But my contract doesn’t extend to faces, and that one-” he pointed to one of the men near the center- “is the one who bound me.”

Jesse considered. “Antonio Bartalotti, huh?” he mused. “I vaguely remember him being in the news for accused tax fraud a few years ago, but nothing ever came of it. Guess he’s got bigger ambitions now.”

Hanzo rested a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “He’s bound to have more under his control, and if he’s able to summon a true demon like me-”

“Then he’s definitely planning something ugly,” Jesse agreed. He pulled up his email to ask Athena to pull everything they had on Bartalotti. “At least we have a lead, and our head archivist will probably get back to us within the hour.” He turned to face the demon, but instead found that damned tail waving in his face, the end of it wrapped around the handle of a fork as Hanzo nonchalantly used it to stab into his pancakes for a bite.

Hanzo almost dropped the plate from laughing as Jesse all but leaped out of his chair in shock. 

\----

It took a while for Athena to compile all the information, and even longer for Jesse and Hanzo to look into the various leads. They had a few rough starts- Jesse wasn’t used to working with a partner, and Hanzo was rather impatient at times- but eventually they managed to settle into a routine that worked for them.

Most of the leads were dead ends; a few sites had been clearly used for rituals, which Jesse simply passed along to the proper channels for cleansing and clean up and moved on. There was no point in finding information on the culprits- it had been efficiently wiped.

“This is getting us nowhere,” Hanzo said, frustrated, as they returned from yet another failed day of hunting. “We aren’t going to find them by rumor and hearsay!”

“Maybe not,” Jesse said, thoughtful. “Athena works hard but she’s only a technosprite. Perhaps we aren’t looking in the right places.”

Hanzo looked suspicious. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve spent all this time looking for the big players. Why not look for the victims?”

“You realize they are probably under the same oath as I am,” Hanzo reminded him.

Jesse nodded. “Yes. But even with the limited information given, we can still form a pattern. They didn’t take you far, after all. If we figure out where they are stashing those they summon, we can figure out their general areas of operation. Hopefully, if we find enough of them-” 

“We can interrupt them mid-ritual, or find them beforehand,” Hanzo finished.

“Exactly. I’ll let Athena know to adjust her search parameters.”

After that, things moved more quickly.

They found their first witness three days later, a small spellweaver with her inert golem trapped in the cellar of an abandoned bar. She was angry, coming at Jesse with fists flying and demonic flame flaring around her shoulders and hips, a tiny fireball of unbridled terror and rage. Jesse shouted in alarm, and Hanzo was suddenly there, holding the spellweaver back even though he was supposed to be guarding the entrance.

Jesse must have looked just as surprised as he felt because Hanzo did an impressive job of rolling eyes that didn’t have a pupil. “Shadow stepping. Surely you’ve heard of it?”

“Heard of it, never seen it,” Jesse replied before shaking himself. The spellweaver seemed to have calmed down when she realized what Hanzo was, but was still looking at Jesse with suspicion. He couldn’t blame her- spellweavers weren’t exactly looked kindly upon by his fellow members.

Since she had been speaking some subset of the demonic language, Jesse had to fish out his translator to do the initial conversation. He pulled up his standard question and held it out to her: Do you speak any of this plane’s languages? 

The spellweaver narrowed her eyes, but scrolled through the list and selected the option for Korean. Pleased, Jesse put the translator away and started asking her what happened. Her story almost exactly lined up with Hanzo’s, even saying she was looking for her unit when she was summoned. Jesse considered. This wasn’t a coincidence.

The spellweaver, who said they could call her Hana, decided to stick with them until they could figure out what was going on. Jesse agreed since it would keep her safer, and they piled into Jesse’s truck. Hana elected to stay with her golem in the bed of the truck during the trip, so Jesse made sure to drive extra carefully, even if Hana had created an illusion so as to not be spotted.

Hanzo was fidgeting at the beginning of the trip until Jesse reached a hand over and laid it on his arm. The demon startled, and Jesse pulled it back abruptly. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“My apologies-”

They spoke at the same time, and after an awkward pause Hanzo continued. “I was… hoping she would have more to tell us.”

“About your brother?” Hanzo nodded. “She’s only our first lead. There’s bound to be someone out there who can tell us more.”

“Forgive me if that doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence,” Hanzo added bleakly.

Jesse gave him a wry look. “What, don’t trust me?”

“It’s not-” he realized Jesse was smiling and huffed. “I trust you, as surprising as that is. There’s just too much left to chance.”

The hunter hesitated, and broadcasting his movements laid his hand on Hanzo’s arm again. This time the demon didn’t flinch, and after a pause, covered Jesse’s hand with his own with a small but grateful smile. “We’ll find something. Even the smallest needle is eventually found in the haystack.”

Hanzo didn’t look convinced, but kept a hold of Jesse’s hand. Eventually he had pulled it onto his lap, seemingly content to rub circles into Jesse’s palm as he remained lost in thought. Jesse very carefully kept his eyes on the road and tried not to think about nice it felt.

“I didn’t realize you could speak Korean,” Hanzo said a little ways into the trip. Whether or not that was the issue bothering him Jesse didn’t know, but the implicit question was an easy one to answer.

Jesse shrugged. “The Hunters Guild is an international force, and we have to be proficient in at least three languages before we’re allowed our license. I picked up Korean after the fact because I was curious, and because at the time I was hunting a particularly stubborn kitsune who thought fleeing the country would save her.”

Hanzo looked thoughtful, and moved from Jesse’s palm to absently play with his fingers. “How many do you know?” 

“Five, though I can read two more.” At Hanzo’s look he elaborated. “English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and of course, Korean, and can read Swahili and Demonic. The latter is impossible to actually replicate with my vocal cords, of course- can’t do the subharmonics.” 

“I… suppose that makes sense,” the demon finally replied. They way he was stroking Jesse’s hand was distracting. “I never really thought about the fact that Hunters needed to be multilingual.”

“Too much hassle to arrange for a translator,” Jesse shrugged. Hanzo squeezed his hand to encourage him to continue. “Especially since all but a handful are civilians. Can’t exactly bring along some poor kid when undergoing negotiations with a genie, and bringing along another hunter also means less money from the client since you have to share it. Knowing more languages is more profit, in the long run.” He glanced back to make sure Hana was stable before merging onto the interstate. “I know a few retired Hunters who actually offer up translation services, but most are just content to either train the new generation or live quietly in some reclusive log cabin where they aren’t bothered.”

Hanzo made a thoughtful noise, and after a while went back to theorizing after Jesse contacted Athena and updated her. Jesse reluctantly pulled his hand away so he could activate the radio in the car for the update. Hanzo tucked his own under his arms and stared out the window.

It was dark when they finally got back to the house, and Hana was asleep in the bed of the truck. Hanzo woke her as Jesse cleared space on the back porch for her golem, which was finally starting to flicker to life once more. He even dragged the loveseat outside for her as well since she didn’t want to stay away from it for long; knowing that she was soul-bound to the creature, he didn’t mind.

“How many do you think they’ve enslaved?” Hanzo asked quietly once she had once again fallen asleep.

“She said her entire unit was missing,” Jesse replied. “As well as your brother. If others are starting to notice the absence…” he trailed off.

Hanzo was quiet as he realized the implications. “We need to find them soon.” Jesse, now that he knew his touch was welcome, squeezed Hanzo’s shoulder.

“HQ is already alerted and Hunters are being mobilized.” Hanzo’s look wasn’t reassured; he knew as well as Jesse that it could be too little too late. “Best we can do on our end is keep up the search and hope that someone makes a breakthrough.”

Hanzo didn’t reply, simply melted into the shadows back to his room.

Jesse sighed as his hand dropped and he headed towards his office. He was in for a long night.

~~

Hana proved to be much more helpful than Jesse could have imagined.

Due to her link to her golem, whatever it saw, she saw. She was able to retrace her steps from the basement to the area she was summoned, and Jesse was delighted to find that the site was still active. He was able to rescue the previous five beings who had been summoned and one after Hana, and their testimonies were sent to Athena. Jesse ensured that they were all brought to suitable safe houses until they could return to their own realms, and sent out notices that they were under immunity so that other hunters wouldn’t accidentally pick up a contract on them. 

Throughout it all, however, neither Hana or Hanzo found information on their missing family members.

Jesse knew it was worrying the both of them, so with their permission he sent out search warrants for their description. Search and possible rescue only- Jesse was to be alerted immediately as to their whereabouts. 

He found Hanzo the next night pacing the living room, tail whipping in agitation as he moved between the kitchen archway and the couch, pivoted, and continued stomping. He watched for three more rotations, and when it was clear that Hanzo hadn’t even noticed Jesse’s entrance, he knocked on the doorframe. The demon stopped briefly, his eyes flickering towards him- and wasn’t that odd, Jesse could tell where Hanzo was looking even without pupils- before resuming his pacing. 

Ever since the car ride Jesse had become more free with his touches, and Hanzo had seemed to welcome them. But he knew this wasn’t a situation where restraint in any fashion would be welcome, so he stayed put in the doorway.

“Hanzo, you’re making me anxious just looking at you,” he said. “Sit down.”

“I can’t,” Hanzo bit out, but he did stop moving. “I have to be doing something, the longer we wait, the more likely-”

Jesse crossed the room to place his hands on Hanzo’s shoulders, feeling the tension there. “Hanzo. If your brother is anything like you, he’s fine. He’s probably just lying low and will contact you when it’s safe.” His expression didn’t change, so Jesse slid his hands down Hanzo’s arms and grabbed his hands. “Come on. I have a foolproof insomnia cure.”

He guided Hanzo to the kitchen, and set him to chopping vegetables as Jesse started making tortillas. “Usually whenever I can’t sleep I cook,” he said. “Simple things, or prep for meals for tomorrow. You know how to saute those?”

Hanzo nodded and they worked together mostly in silence, Jesse only occasionally directing him as they worked together. In short order they had all the ingredients for tacos, and Hanzo was finally starting to smile. 

“So, what do you say?” Jesse asked. “Eat now, or wait till tomorrow?”

The demon hesitated, but Jesse could read the answer in his expression. He nudged the bowl of rice closer, and Hanzo buckled, reaching for a tortilla. They both had a few tacos assembled, and Jesse made a noise of surprise when he bit into his first one.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” Jesse said, marveling at the flavors. It wasn’t what he was used to, but it was still excellent. He probably should have figured it out with the way Hanzo handled the pans, but still. He’s known plenty of people who could cook a steak but forget about the seasoning.

“I’ve been alive for several centuries and have been under contract to kings and peasants alike,” Hanzo said dryly. “I’ve picked up a thing or two.”

“I like it,” Jesse replied hurriedly. “I’ve just never really met anyone outside of my neck of the woods who can cook like this.” He quickly devoured the rest of his food, ignoring the way Hanzo’s pleased smile made his heart flutter.

They sat and talked until Hanzo fully relaxed, an almost sleepy quality being added to his movements as they discussed the finer points of classic movies and who their favorite silver screen actors were. Hanzo, from the sheer factor of being long-lived, had even met a few of them and was happy to tell stories. Jesse was fascinated, and at one point they had migrated to the same side of the table, practically hip-to-hip as Hanzo pressed into Jesse’s side. Jesse’s arm was across the back of Hanzo’s chair, listening intently at Hanzo’s retelling of his time meeting Audrey Hepburn and how she had mistaken him for a part of the camera crew when his official title was somewhere between ‘summoned for slave labor’ and ‘coffee boy’. She had been apologetic when she found out, even offering to get him food, but Hanzo had turned down her offers since he didn’t want to cause friction with the actual staff. 

“Can’t believe they summoned a Higher Demon for coffee runs,” Jesse marveled, stroking the exposed skin at Hanzo’s collar. “I mean, I know it’s because you can take on a human guise and you don’t want to freak out the civilians, but still. Most of the time it’s law students needing help with tests or businessmen needing a mole, not…” he gestured.

Hanzo shrugged. “I cannot speak for other beings, but I was lucky in that most of my contracts were rather fair. Some were… not, but I learned from them nonetheless. After all, we can choose whether or not to accept the conditions, just as our summoners can choose whether or not to honor them. If any side breaks the deal, there’s consequences.” Hanzo looked pensive, but it wasn’t the same yearning helplessness as before. “This is the first time I’ve been stuck in such… limbo. I do not know how they managed it, and that alone fuels my frustration.”

“There have been a few that have been picked up mid-summoning, and a few others who were able to escape due to their summoners dying,” Jesse replied. “They’ve all been family units, which worries me, because that usually means some fucked up shit, but it’s a lead that we can run with. Trust me, we have entire departments dedicated to this sorta stuff. They’ll figure out what clause or wording or ingredient binds you to here. Let the legal harpies do their magic, and we’ll focus on finding your brother, okay?”

Hanzo met his gaze, and there was… something in them that made Jesse still. Wrapped up in the hushed quiet of the night, the remains of their meal still scattered about the table, some sort of magic was brewing. He could feel it sinking into his soul, irrevocably marking him. 

Jesse licked his lips. Hanzo tracked the movement. They were both so close- it wouldn’t take much to just lean down. “Hanzo-”

There was a small noise from the kitchen door, and both turned to see Hana standing there, half asleep and rubbing her eyes. “I smelled food,” she mumbled, looking exhausted. 

Jesse looked at the demon, but he was already pulling away, moving to salvage some of the leftovers. He bit back a sigh and stood, moving to guide Hana to a seat. “Tacos. Sorry if we woke you.”

“‘M fine,” she replied, accepting the plate from Hanzo. She looked tiny in the chair, and Jesse felt a pang when he realized just how young she still was. Not even a century yet. “Just smelled good.”

“We’ll clean up and leave you to it.”

Hana left shortly after, and he wondered if she would even remember this in the morning since she still looked dead on her feet. He knew that her species didn’t exist well on their own, and he wondered just how dependant spellweavers were on the members of their unit. Golem units typically worked together, each role supporting the others to the point where it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. He knew they were family pairs, but something about Hana’s desperation and determination to find them led him to believe that there was something more binding them together.

He wondered if they were soul-bonded to each other in the way they were to their golems. To have other voices, other minds, with them since birth, only to suddenly be without them-

Jesse sighed and put the last dirty plate in the sink. “They can keep till morning,” he said at Hanzo’s look. “Think you’ve calmed down enough to sleep?”

The demon nodded. “Yes. Thank you. You’re good at this.”

“What?”

“This,” he said, shrugging. “Helping.”

“Nah, I just like doing it,” Jesse replied. “Seen too much sadness in life to not try and make it better.” He smiled at Hanzo. “See you tomorrow morning?”

Hanzo nodded, but pulled Jesse into a hug. “Goodnight.”

Jesse closed his eyes, hugging Hanzo tighter. “Yeah. Goodnight.”

~~

He woke up to see Hanzo staring at him from the foot of his bed, eerie blue electricity lighting up his features. “I’ve heard from Genji,” he said.

Jesse was immediately awake. It had been two months with nothing to show for it, and they were all beginning to lose hope. “Where?”

Hanzo shook his head. “I don’t- I can only sense, not-”

“That’s fine,” Jesse said, guiding Hanzo out of the room. He was trembling. “Go wake Hana and get ready. We’ll leave as soon as everyone’s ready.” The demon gave a stiff nod, then seemed to realize what was happening, all but charging down the hall.

Jesse could get ready in under five minutes, and as they met in his office Jesse asked where Genji was. “I don’t know,” Hanzo said, frustrated. “I could only get a limited amount of information, and a vague sense of direction. If I was close I could sense him, but he could be halfway around the world for all I know.”

“It’s okay. Tell me everything.”

Hanzo did, down to the finest detail. It was enough for Athena to find some potential locations, one of which was a few hours away from them. 

“Surely it cannot be that easy,” Hanzo said. 

“Why can’t it?” Jesse replied. “Think we’re due for some good luck.”

Dawn was just starting to appear over the horizon when Jesse pulled to a stop. They all hopped out and checked their weapons, then cautiously proceeded to their target. 

They kept within earshot in case of traps, but a mile from the destination Hanzo suddenly froze, blue electricity crackling up his arm. “He’s here,” he said, turning slightly. “There’s spells trying to hide his presence but-”

“Then we’ll assume that everyone we meet is hostile,” Jesse said. “That’s an old prison- the warden ain’t gonna like us causing a jail break.”

“We have to try,” Hana said determinedly.

They waited until nightfall, planning their move. Hana was backup, since she was unable to move stealthily. Athena was alerted and Sombra somehow found blueprints and sent them to Jesse, and they plotted the quickest route inside. It took all of a few hours- all they had to do was wait.

Jesse spent most of it trying to ignore the tension in his gut. It wasn’t about the mission- that was familiar. Rather it what was about what would happen after. He had slowly grown to realize that he didn’t want to work alone anymore, that he wanted Hanzo with him. But once Hanzo found Genji, there would be no reason for him to stay, and Jesse wasn’t so cruel to separate them again.

It didn’t stop the desperate, private ‘what ifs’. It didn’t stop him from wishing that things were different.

Eventually he was able to ignore it. Jesse wasn’t a stranger to disappointment.

Once it grew dark, Hanzo was able to slide between shadows and take out a guard, allowing Jesse to cut through the fenceline. They hid Hana in the shadows of a defunct equipment shed, with a direct line of escape in case she should need it. After testing the comms once more, Jesse and Hanzo moved away towards the looming building across the field.

Getting into the prison was easier than expected. There was only so many upgrades one can put into a century old building, and because of this there were always weaknesses. Jesse provided the spell that got Sombra into the systems, and then- well. A fake alert sent most guards running away from the threat, and Hanzo and Jesse were left to search the halls with Sombra guiding them. The first few floors were empty, mostly living quarters and armories. They jammed doors where they could and did their best to make life annoying, but it wasn’t anything that would trip them up for long.

Hanzo beelined for the wing Genji was being held in, Jesse trailing behind and making sure they weren’t being followed. The spells built into his arm made short work of any security, and before long Hanzo skidded to a stop, looking around wildly before he found the number he was looking for. He made a pained noise as he wrenched a door open.

Something flung itself out the door, and Hanzo was bowled over by a blur of green speaking distressed Japanese. Hanzo let out a breath, clutching his brother back, and both laid on the floor, shaking.

Jesse gave them a moment before approaching. “Come on you two, sappy reunions can happen later. We need to get out of here,” Jesse said gently. 

Genji looked up him, his eerie red eyes suspiciously wet. “Thank you,” he said. Jesse held out his hands to help them both up. Hanzo clung tightly to Genji’s arm. “But we have to get the others out.”

“That ain’t the mission,” Jesse began but Genji shook his head.

“You don’t understand,” Genji replied. “They’re trying to start another War. We have to get them out.”

Jesse swore. “We can’t-”

Hana’s voice crackled over the commline. “Guys? I think you’ve been found out. There’s a lot of people charging inside.”

Jesse immediately tried connecting to the Guild, only for there to be no response. “Too late now,” he said. “We messed up somewhere. We’re going to have to fight our way out.” He looked at Genji. “Looks like we’re staging a prison break after all. Yow know where security is?”

Genji grinned, almost feral. “Let me get a friend and I’ll help.”

The ‘friend’ ended up being a gorgon named Lucio, which made Jesse a lot more optimistic about their chances of escaping. “Can’t paralyze yet but I can sure as hell slow them down,” Lucio said cheerily. 

Jesse looked his small team over. He couldn’t let them know just how low the odds were, but he suspected they knew anyway. “Alright. Genji, you’re leading me to security. Hanzo, Lucio, do whatever you can to lead them away or slow them down. Hana, I need your distraction ASAP. If it looks like you’re going to get captured, run. Don’t sacrifice yourself. Flee into the woods if you have to, just do whatever you can to get away.”

Hanzo grabbed Jesse’s arm before he left. There was something in his expression that made Jesse catch his breath. “The same goes to you, hunter.” He looked like he was about to say more, but stopped. He took Jesse’s hand in his with a hard grip briefly before vanishing off down the hall with Lucio.

Jesse turned to Genji, who was giving him an unreadable look. “Let’s go. Do you have a weapon?”

Genji began to glow green. “Myself.”

“Right. Lead the way.” 

Genji darted through the halls, and whenever they encountered a small patrol he would pounce and in a blur of eerie green light, soon have the guards unconscious. Jesse could tell the task was draining- who knew how long he had been kept imprisoned? But the way to the security booth wasn’t far, and before long Genji and Jesse had knocked out the guards manning the station. 

“Excuse me, everybody,” Jesse announced over the intercom as Genji started mashing buttons, “But this is a Guild sanctioned prison break. Inmates, please form organized groups and head for the hills. Guards, please don’t put up a fight. I don’t want to hurt y’all more than I have to, and I hate having to fill out the paperwork for it.”

Alarms started blaring as doors opened. “Looks like we’ve been found out,” Genji said, showing Jesse the security feeds of guards rushing towards them. “Hope your skills live up to your Guild’s reputation.”

Jesse drew Peacekeeper from her holster. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

They fought their way to the yard, where there was an all out battle between the human guards and the demonic inmates. Jesse waded through the chaos, trying to reunite with Hanzo. He didn’t aim to kill, only maim- the rubber bullets were covered in paralysis spells, and wouldn’t wear off for hours. Hopefully long enough for backup to arrive.

At first, it seemed the prison break would actually work. The guards were scattered and taken by surprise, and had clearly relied on the runes and spells that Jesse had broken along the way that sapped their prisoners of their strength and abilities. As the melee continued, however, they were clearly rallying, and Jesse knew something had to be done quick.

He turned to Genji. “Go find Hanzo.”

“But-”

“Go find him, and get out of here. I’ll meet up with y’all once I find the ringleader.” Jesse gestured at him. “You’re already lagging, and I can’t keep waiting on you to keep up. If I need backup, I’ll call our spellweaver and her golem.”

Genji didn’t look happy, but darted off, that strange green glow flickering like witchfire. Jesse turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Roof access was surprisingly easy to find, and sure enough, there was a collection of guards and the one in charge scrambling to create a barrier spell. Jesse’s opening salvo took them off guard, but they retaliated quickly enough to make Jesse scramble for shelter. 

He knew as soon as the spell was done that their chances of escaping dropped to zero. From the looks of things he had very little time- there was still a battle going on in the yards, the growing numbers of escaped beings in a holding pattern against the guards. Magic was flying wildly through the air, but Jesse could feel the prickle of dampening and suppressive wards being woven into the shield. 

Jesse took a few more shots before being forced back into cover. Over the comms he could hear Hana and Hanzo’s chatter, Hana cackling with glee at a corresponding explosion. “Gather who you can and run,” Jesse ordered, as another hail of bullets peppered his cover. “They’re about to get a shield up.”

“Where are you located?” Hanzo asked, sounding worried.

“Don’t worry about me, y’all need to get,” he retorted. “I’ll meet up later.”

“If the shield goes up-”

“It’ll affect you more than me! Now go!”

Jesse leapt out of cover and fired Peacekeeper, felling four guards and wounding two others. The shield was beginning to get stronger, and Jesse could feel it pressing down on him. Those in the yard began to flag as well, and Jesse knew time was running out. 

He gathered the desert heat, pulled upon his own magic running through his veins, and called out to the spirit that he had hosted for as long as he could remember. It awoke within him, eager for death, and Jesse felt time and space slow and settle around him.

There was no time for cover- he watched as guns leveled toward him in slow motion, as the warden started speaking the words to an unknown spell. Jesse focused, and found his targets.

Despite what others believed, Peacekeeper didn’t require normal bullets. Sure, she was capable of using them- her shape wasn’t just for show. And most of the time, they did the job. He carried a variety of ammunition depending on the type of hunt he was on, and normally that was all he needed. But in last-case scenarios, she could be used as something… more. A channel, a guide, to the being of Death that had attached itself to his bloodline centuries ago. In times like these, she didn’t need bullets to fire.

Jesse pulled the trigger. Time and space snapped back to normal.

Ten bodies fell to the roof, unmoving. The warden completed his spell, launching Jesse backwards and off the edge. A massive, dark shaped roared in anger and grief as it launched itself towards Jesse’s enemies.

Before the world went dark he realized it was Hanzo. He was easily three times his normal height, crackling with blue electricity. His eyes, facial markings, and tattoo glowed with an otherworldly light that sent the protruding fangs and horns in sharp relief. If Jesse wasn’t currently falling off a roof he would have been appropriately awestruck. Didn’t know demons could get that big, he mused instead, and was abruptly thrown into oblivion.

\----

Jesse awoke slowly, aching in ways he knew was from bullets and other things he didn’t care to identify. Opening his eyes revealed that he was back in the safe house, sunlight streaming through his windows. He grunted as he rolled to his feet, surprised that despite the lingering aches and pains, he felt… surprisingly good, for someone who probably-most-definitely fell about four stories off a rooftop.

The house was quiet, but not empty, he realized as he left his room. There was an amazing smell coming from the kitchen, and he wandered towards it, somehow not surprised to see Hanzo standing at the stove making pancakes. He was back to normal size, although there were still horns protruding from his forehead.

“How long was I out?” Jesse said, voice rough from sleep and lingering pain. Hanzo startled before hurrying Jesse to a chair.

“Only a day,” he replied. At Jesse’s look he shrugged. “Lucio healed you. He was apparently raised by sirens and thus learned to replicate their abilities. You only slept for so long because of your own exhaustion.”

Jesse considered as Hanzo went back to the pancakes. “What happened after I… fell?”

Hanzo visibly stiffened, but didn’t turn around. “Hana and I were able to stop the shield from forming as Lucio and Genji got you out. Your guild showed up not long after- apparently Sombra had sent out an alert as soon as she lost contact. They neutralized the remaining forces and are still helping everyone get back home, I imagine.”

“Oh.” Something unpleasant was churning in Jesse’s gut. “Where’s Genji and Hana?”

“He and Lucio went with some Hunters to give their statement and to return to our realm to regain their strength. Hana is looking into a possible lead on her unit.”

“Surprised you’re still here then.”

Hanzo didn’t turn around, instead proceeding to stack his finished pancakes. “Someone needed to look after you and the person who summoned me was not among those present. He has no doubt gone to ground after the prison break.”

Jesse could hear the displeasure in his voice, and knew exactly what face he was making. It was easy to read him, now, even with the damned tail. They had grown closer than Jesse anticipated in such a few short months, and the thought of him leaving-

But Hanzo was still here, wasn’t he? He could have left Jesse with the Guild, gone with Hana to look for leads into his continued captivity. Instead he had brought Jesse here, back home, and was at his stove cooking pancakes. That had to count for something.

Slowly, Jesse stood, moving to join Hanzo at the stove. The demon was surprised to see him, but allowed Jesse to pull the pancake mix out of his hands and turn the stove off, and willingly let himself be led to the table.

“Hanzo,” Jesse said, holding the demon’s hands in his own. “When this is over… could I ask you to stay?”

Hanzo blinked. “What?”

“Stay. With me.” His confidence was wavering but Jesse continued, needing to get this off his chest. “These past weeks… I don’t think I’ve ever worked as well with anyone as I have with you. I trust you to have my back, and that’s surprisingly rare in this line of work. But honestly, I just like having you around. I like making you smile, your dumb jokes, even that damned tail.” Hanzo snorted, but Jesse continued. “I’m not asking you to leave your brother now that you’ve found each other again, I just… want you here,” he finished, something small and vulnerable in his voice.

Hanzo stared, then slowly shook his head. “You continue to surprise me,” he murmured, and at Jesse’s look he smiled. “You don’t believe me?”

“I’m not anything to write home about,” Jesse began but Hanzo interrupted him.

“You were surprisingly astute despite being clumsy enough to wake me up when we first met,” he said, pulling away from Jesse’s grasp to count on his fingers. His tail, however, wrapped itself around Jesse’s leg, who fought back a shiver of interest. “Unlike most of your kind, you are willing to treat us like equals, you speak multiple languages because you enjoy to do so, you willingly comfort those in need without a second thought, and you are capable of great harm but only do so as a last resort.” Hanzo moved his hands to cup Jesse’s face. “You intrigue me, and I know there is something between us that I cannot name. I want to see what it becomes. I only hope that I can eventually be worthy of it, of you.”

Jesse smiled and mirrored Hanzo’s pose, moving closer. He took a last minute detour to rub noses to avoid Hanzo’s horns. “You already are.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to write a Five Times fic, so I suppose now is a good a time as any!


End file.
